The Age of Chivalry eBook

the coat of mail, the hauberk, the armlet and gauntlet,
and lastly he girded on the sword. He then knelt
again before the president, who, rising from his seat,
gave him the “accolade,” which consisted
of three strokes, with the flat of a sword, on the
shoulder or neck of the candidate, accompanied by
the words: “In the name of God, of St. Michael,
and St. George, I make thee a knight; be valiant,
courteous, and loyal!” Then he received his
helmet, his shield, and spear; and thus the investiture
ended.

FREEMEN, VILLAINS, SERFS, AND CLERKS

The other classes of which society was composed were,
first, freemen, owners of small portions of land
independent, though they sometimes voluntarily became
the vassals of their more opulent neighbors, whose
power was necessary for their protection. The
other two classes, which were much the most numerous,
were either serfs or villains, both of which were
slaves.

The serfs were in the lowest state of slavery.
All the fruits of their labor belonged to the master
whose land they tilled, and by whom they were fed
and clothed.

The VILLIANS were less degraded. Their situation
seems to have resembled that of the Russian peasants
at this day. Like the serfs, they were attached
to the soil, and were transferred with it by purchase;
but they paid only a fixed rent to the landlord, and
had a right to dispose of any surplus that might arise
from their industry.

The term “clerk” was of very extensive
import. It comprehended, originally, such persons
only as belonged to the clergy, or clerical order,
among whom, however, might be found a multitude of
married persons, artisans or others. But in process
of time a much wider rule was established; every one
that could read being accounted a clerk or clericus,
and allowed the “benefit of clergy,” that
is, exemption from capital and some other forms of
punishment, in case of crime.

TOURNAMENTS

The splendid pageant of a tournament between knights,
its gaudy accessories and trappings, and its chivalrous
regulations, originated in France. Tournaments
were repeatedly condemned by the Church, probably
on account of the quarrels they led to, and the often
fatal results. The “joust,” or “just,”
was different from the tournament. In these,
knights fought with their lances, and their object
was to unhorse their antagonists; while the tournaments
were intended for a display of skill and address in
evolutions, and with various weapons, and greater courtesy
was observed in the regulations. By these it
was forbidden to wound the horse, or to use the point
of the sword, or to strike a knight after he had raised
his vizor, or unlaced his helmet. The ladies
encouraged their knights in these exercises; they bestowed
prizes, and the conqueror’s feats were the theme
of romance and song. The stands overlooking the